“Okay, okay. You’ve had your fun.” A rueful grin tugged up the corners of my lips as I sank further down in my chair and let out a groan. “Madison, seriously, what the hell am I supposed to do now? That puff was supposed to be my big move, my hail Mary. If he didn’t respond to that, then—”
“Then we’ll just have to try something else,” she said quickly, trying her best to keep her hysterical giggles under control. “Della, there’s clearly a reason he won’t talk about your...interlude. Something is holding him back. We just need to find out what that is so we can—”
“I don’t give a fuck about the other night!” I exclaimed, staring at her in profound disbelief. “Madison, I’m going to lose my job! I don’t care if our one night stand slipped his mind. After what happened up there just now, he’ll be giving me a slip too—a pink one!”
She scoffed, leaning back in the chair as if she was in her own office. “On what charges? Attacking him with a crème puff?” She snorted at the absurd accuracy of the words. “He won’t fire you for that.”
“Do you even realize what you just said?” I argued, narrowing my eyes sarcastically. “Think about it, Madison. The man will definitely fire me for that. It’s just a matter of when.”
“I’m thinking of reasons why he doesn’t admit to the whole sordid affair. He’s not married. He doesn’t have a steady girlfriend. He’s definitely not gay. It’s not about being discreet. He’s always sleeping around.”
“Nice guy I banged, huh?”
“Hmmm. Maybe he has amnesia. Or maybe he drank more than you thought. That guy can pound down the alcohol and doesn’t even act drunk.”
“Maybe he’s embarrassed.”
“No, if he remembered, he’d be bragging about banging the new junior hottie. He would’ve been shouting from the rooftop about the new notch on his bed stand.”
I slapped my forehead.
A sudden knock at the door interrupted our argument, and we both hurried to pull ourselves together as our impromptu visitor stuck his head inside.
“Hey, sorry to bother you,” Henry said. “I just wanted to let you know David and Cross just called an emergency staff meeting. We need to be in the conference room ASAP.”
My stomach dropped into my shoes as all the color drained from my face.
So I guess that answers my question of when I’m getting it. ASAP: Axe Soon As Possible.
Madison shot me a quick look before waving Henry quickly out the door. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll be right up. Thanks, Henry.”
He vanished without another word, but I did catch a glimpse of him rolling his eyes.
“So,” she said, turning her attention back to me, “I have another question for you, but you must promise not to be angry when I ask you.”
“Whenever someone frames a question like that, it’s impossible not to be upset,” I said, closing my eyes as I lifted my hands to my face. “What is it?” I asked, looking at her once again.
After a bit of a guilt-laced pause, she had the audacity to say, “Do you think you can get your security deposit back?”
Chapter 13
By the time Madison and I made it back up to the top floor, the entire team was already assembled in the conference room, including several people I had not yet met. In fact, there were not even enough chairs to accommodate one. I figured that was for the best anyway, because the last thing I wanted to do was be in the spotlight. I was glad when we found a place in the back, a place where we could be lost in the crowd.
He can’t fire someone he can’t see, right?
A moment later, David whooshed through the door, with Robert right on his heels, along with two suited strangers. Something about them reeked of legalities and regulations, and that formed a knot in my stomach the size of a watermelon.
Oh my gosh! Forget the pink slip. I’m going to be sued for assault and splattery!
I angled myself discreetly behind a large man in front of me, peering out through the part in his hair to try to get a better look at Robert’s face, that face I’d smeared with stickiness that very morning. I desperately tried to read his expression, but that wasn’t easy; the man was a rock. His eyes were fixed firmly upon the overhead projector, and his handsome face didn’t betray one shred of emotion. I did notice that he’d changed his shirt and tie, and, judging by the damp look of his hair, he’d done a little freshening up in his bathroom sink.
I moaned softly and bowed my head in instant shame, but the sound of my small utterance carried farther than I intended. Madison stomped on my foot, then flipped off the people around us who dared to turn around and stare, forcing them to direct their eyes back to the front.
“Get it together,” she whispered. “It’s not over till it’s over. Do you hear me?”
I straightened and sighed to myself, almost silently, but I had to be realistic. I knew there was nothing anyone could do to rescue me, not even her.
What the hell was I thinking? I finally moved across the Atlantic, finally landed my dream job in London. I finally met a man who somehow managed to capture me in his spell in just one night, and what did I do? I shove dessert in his face and get myself fired, all in one day. I sighed again, not sure how silent it was this time. Hell, at least I’ll go out with a bang.